Our school year is just chugging right along. We just had our 100th Day of School already! And we have loved spending all of them with your students.

- performed 1 restorative circles/conflict mediations,

- held 19 small social-emotional learning group sessions,

- held 13 individual counseling sessions,

- performed 45 check-ins with or observations of students,

- performed 6 consultations with teachers on how to best support students in class,

- presented classroom lessons to 11 classrooms,

- and offered 3 lunch bunch activities during the students' lunch recess times.

Our theme for this month's social emotional learning topic is Self-Love and Self-Esteem, in line with the month of February and Valentines. Self-love means that you have an appreciation, affinity, and positive regard for yourself. It’s closely related to Self-Esteem and Self-Compassion. When you have a strong sense of Self-Love, you understand your own value and treat yourself in a loving way. In turn, you are able to show up for others in a more positive and fulfilling way. Loving yourself means having a good understanding of both your strengths and weaknesses. High Self-Love has a positive effect on your well-being, mental fitness, and your relationships.

Here are some articles and videos to help you understand the benefits of teaching and role-modeling Self-Love in your home and community:

At Ernie Pyle, we follow the acronym PAWS:

P: Be Proactive.

A: Act Respectfully and Responsibly.

W: Make Wise Choices.

S: Be Safe.

In December, we are focusing on Acting Respectfully and Responsibly. Some examples of what this looks like is having good manners, keeping your voice at the appropriate level for the situation, keeping your hands and feet to yourselves, and cleaning up after yourself.

PBIS can also be a handy tool to use for correcting behaviors at home. Here is a guide that we created to help support your students at home. It provides examples of routines and structures to promote positive behavior and that can be implemented at home. Here they are in English and Spanish for your use: